Red Wine in a Can

The newest alternative packaging for wine is lightweight aluminum bottles. They look slimmer than glass bottles and they’re screwcap of course. Wineries are touting the fuel and omission savings of lightweight aluminum over glass as well as a shorter chilling time for the drinker. One claims it’s ‘four times faster’. Did someone actually measure?

Must say I like the solidness of metal over the wobbly feeling of cardboard Tetras, and the pour is also better. But as with Tetra, it’s not transparent so you may be running close to empty without knowing it. Not a good thing.

The contents are what really matter and I’m delighted to say I found a couple of tin can reds worth packing for the park, cottage or wherever the summer takes you.

Think Red is a fun concept out of Portugal and the wine is quite good in a rustic way. Tangy, appetizing and a perfect wash down for BBQ’d burgers. There’s a Think White partner but it’s a bit plain.

The old French wine house of Mommessin has added an innovative twist to wine in a can. A ‘Cooldot’ that changes colour when the wine is at the right temperature. Not only clever but it also lets people know that Beaujolais (and all light reds) should be chilled. Not as cold as white – just till the Cooldot turns blue. To learn more about Mommessin’s innovation visit www.cooldot.com

Beaujolais is the ideal daytime/picnic reds because of it’s freshness and fun feeling. A lighthearted wine for lighthearted times. Your kids ball game or Friday lunch at the office. Aluminum bottles are not only recyclable, but reusable. Packaging the old way.

P.S. ‘To say Tetra Paks are recyclable is to use a loose, broad definition of recycling” says Franz Hartmann of the Toronto Environmental Alliance. Apparently we are sending Tetra Pak cartons to mills in China and Korea.